House Republicans were heading toward a down-in-the-dumps holiday. Then the House ethics committee handed them a gift.

The committee's investigation of Rep. Charles Rangel's tax problems is expanding, turning what has been a minor headache for Democratic leaders into a New Year's migraine.

The last thing Democrats need is an ethics cloud hovering over 20-term House veteran who, as House Ways and Means Committee chairman, will play a critical role in advancing President-elect Barack Obama's goals of an economic recovery plan, middle-class tax relief and expanded health insurance.

It was only last month that the top House Democrat, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said she expected a report with the ethics panel's findings by Jan. 3.

She was trying to make the problem go away quickly. If Rangel were exonerated right after the new year, Democrats could leave the New York Democrat in place and move on. If he violated standards of conduct, the party could dump him as chairman before the new congressional session got going.

But if the investigation lingers, Pelosi and her leadership team can only wait  and listen to Republican calls for Rangel to step down.

It didn't help that, seven hours before the expanded investigation was announced Tuesday, Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on charges he conspired to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by Obama.

The expanded probe will examine whether Rangel helped preserve a lucrative tax break that benefited an oil-drilling company last year, while its chief executive was pledging $1 million to a college center named in the congressman's honor.

The ethics committee also is looking at Rangel's use of congressional stationery to ask foundations to support the school project; using four rent-stabilized apartments in a Harlem apartment building; and not reporting or paying taxes on $75,000 in rental income from his villa in the Dominican Republic.

” not reporting or paying taxes on $75,000 in rental income from his villa”
That’s just the tip of the iceberg in the rental scam. One year’s worth, probably. The condo manager says Charlie’s villa is rented out constantly, and is the villa most in demand. I predict that it will be found that there were several hundreds of thousands of dollars more in unreported rental over the past several years.

Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) continued to hold his seat even after an FBI sting caught him accepting bribes and found thousands in cash in a home freezer. It was only Louisiana voters who got him out of Congress.

20
posted on 12/11/2008 8:19:40 AM PST
by The Great RJ
("Mir we bleiwen wat mir sin" or "We want to remain what we are." ..Luxembourg motto)

House Republicans were heading toward a down-in-the-dumps holiday. Then the House ethics committee handed them a gift.

We have a MAJOR ethics scandal centered on the leader of the House Ways and Means Committee (one of the most powerful jobs in Washington) and the best this dopeyass news spewer can put out is the bad news that it allegedly makes Republicans happy.

The MSM only seems annoyed that the GOP isn't involved with the scandal, NOT that the DEMS are corrupt.

Republican misconduct gets taken care of as it surfaces, i.e., Randy Cunningham. dummycrat misconduct gets concealed until the stench is overpowering. That virtually ensures the dummies scandals are deeper, wider, and more virulent than anything a Republican gets into. And they remain on stage longer.

I can smell the DC and Chicago scandals clear out here on the West slope of the Rocky Mountains.

22
posted on 12/11/2008 8:39:57 AM PST
by RobinOfKingston
(Democrats, the party of evil. Republicans, the party of stupid.)

The last thing Democrats need is an ethics cloud hovering over 20-term House veteran who, as House Ways and Means Committee chairman, will play a critical role in advancing President-elect Barack Obama's goals of an economic recovery plan, middle-class tax relief and expanded health insurance. It was only last month that the top House Democrat, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said she expected a report with the ethics panel's findings by Jan. 3. She was trying to make the problem go away quickly.

Y'know, 'cause that's what ethics panels are for. Unless it's a Republican under scrutiny -- then the ethics panel demands all kinds of disclosure irrelevant to the actual issue, accuse their victim of stonewalling, drag it out for months, ruin their victim, and force him or her to resign.

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